Smack_, when she came to be
docked, did not show sufficient evidences of having been in heavy
collision to warrant the conclusion that the U-boat had been enough
damaged to have gone to the surface from that cause alone. Under the
circumstances, therefore, there wasn't anything else to do but give the
credit for bringing her up to _Whack's_ depth-charges, while of course,
the fact that it was also the _Whack_ that rammed her was obvious
enough. The consequence was, as I said, that _we_ got all the _kudos_."

He gazed for a few moments at the back-curling bow-wave, before
resuming. "Yes, _we_ got all the _kudos_," he said slowly; "but, all the
same, I've never been able to figure why Fritz didn't douse his
periscope and try to dive deeper when he saw the _Whack_ rounding toward
him, if it wasn't because there was something pretty radically wrong
with him already. I can't help thinking that the old _Smack_ had a lot
to do with starting that Fritz on his downward path, even if it was the
_Whack_ that gave him the final shove."

* * * * *

It was very characteristic, that last little explanation of P----'s. If
there is one thing more than another that has impressed me in hearing
these young British destroyer officers tell the "little games they have
played with Fritz," it is the fine sporting spirit in which they
invariably insist in sharing the credit of an achievement with every
other officer, and man, and ship that has in any way figured in the
action. It was the fault of the Hun that we could no longer treat the
enemy as we would an opponent in sport; but that only makes it all the
more inspiring to see the fellow-players still keeping alive the old
spirit among themselves.

CHAPTER XI

BOMBED!

It was generally admitted by flying-men, even before the failure of the
attempts to destroy the _Goeben_ while ashore in the Dardanelles early
in '18, that the air-bomb was a most uncertain and ineffective weapon
against a large ship of any class, but especially so against a warship
with deck armour.

The principal reason for this is that the blunt-nosed air-bomb, no
matter from how high it may be dropped, has neither the velocity nor the
structure to penetrate the enclosed spaces of a ship where its explosive
charge would find something to exert itself against.

This is why an 18-pounder shell, penetrating to a casemate or
engine-room, for instance, may easily do more damage to a